From the Johnson Space Center in Houston, President Trump reached across the atmosphere to speak with three Americans orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station — among them Anil Menon, a Space Force colonel and son of immigrants, whose journey from Minneapolis to the cosmos reflects something enduring about the American story. The call was both a gesture of recognition and a declaration of ambition, as Trump announced plans for a Space Academy to stand alongside the nation's most storied military institutions. In the silence between Earth and orbit, questions of courage, national p
Trump Praises Indian-Origin Astronaut Menon, Invites Crew to Oval Office
I am very proud to serve in the largest domain imaginable
Mark
So Trump called them in space and praised them—but what was the actual substance of the conversation? Was it just flattery, or did they discuss something concrete?
Mimi
He announced a Space Academy, which is a real policy proposal. He's positioning it as equivalent to West Point and the Naval Academy. But the call itself was mostly ceremonial—Trump acknowledging their courage, Menon talking about his spacewalk and future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Luke
Right, but we should be careful here. The source says Trump "announced" a Space Academy, but it's described as "proposed." That's not the same as approved or funded. And the call was from Houston, not the Oval Office—it was a scheduled event, not a spontaneous moment.
Mark
What about Menon himself? Why is he significant beyond being an astronaut?
Mimi
He's Indian-American, born in Minneapolis to immigrant parents from India and Ukraine. He worked at SpaceX as their first flight surgeon before NASA hired him. He's a Space Force colonel. So he represents a particular kind of American achievement—immigrant family, military service, space exploration.
Luke
But the source doesn't tell us much about why Trump specifically chose to highlight him, or whether there's a political dimension to praising an Indian-origin astronaut. We know what happened on the call, but not the broader context of why this call mattered.
Mark
When do they come back?
Mimi
April 2027. They launched in July, so they're about a month into an eight-month mission. The spacewalk Menon mentioned happened the week before the call.
Luke
And we should note: the source says the crew will spend "about eight months" aboard. That's an estimate. The exact return date might shift.
Der Puls
- Three astronauts orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth paused their mission to receive a presidential call — a reminder that space is no longer the distant frontier it once was, but an active theater of national identity and geopolitical ambition.
- Trump's admission that he himself would not have the courage to go to space gave the moment an unusual candor, humanizing the exchange even as it elevated the astronauts to the status of national symbols.
- Menon's account of his spacewalk — looking back at the station from a robotic arm and seeing what human ingenuity had built in the void — injected a rare note of wonder into what might otherwise have been a routine political appearance.
- The announcement of a proposed Space Academy, ranked alongside West Point and the Naval Academy, signals that the US military is preparing to treat space not as a frontier but as a permanent domain requiring its own institutional pipeline.
- With Menon's wife present at the space center and an Oval Office invitation extended, the call landed somewhere between statecraft and ceremony — a choreographed moment that nonetheless carried real stakes for the future of American space policy.
From the Johnson Space Center in Houston, President Trump reached across the atmosphere to speak with three Americans orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station — among them Anil Menon, a Space Force colonel and son of immigrants, whose journey from Minneapolis to the cosmos reflects something enduring about the American story. The call was both a gesture of recognition and a declaration of ambition, as Trump announced plans for a Space Academy to stand alongside the nation's most storied military institutions. In the silence between Earth and orbit, questions of courage, national purpose, and humanity's next frontier briefly shared the same frequency.
On a Friday afternoon at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, President Trump placed a call to the International Space Station and spoke with astronauts Anil Menon, Jessica Meir, and Jack Hathaway. He called them great Americans and brave people, and offered a candid aside: he would not have the courage to do what they do. The exchange was warm and unhurried, carrying the weight of distance without losing its human texture.
Menon, a colonel in the US Space Force, responded with quiet pride. He described a spacewalk completed the week before — the moment of looking back at the station from a robotic arm and seeing what human hands had built against the black. He spoke of the Moon, a future lunar base, and Mars, thanking the president for pushing the country toward those horizons. Jessica Meir noted the crew was deep into a series of spacewalks, with another scheduled for the following week.
Trump used the call to announce a new institution: a Space Academy, to be established at the same level as West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy. He framed it as a national security imperative, arguing that space-based intelligence had become indispensable to military operations. Jack Hathaway, himself a Naval Academy graduate, signaled readiness to support the effort.
Anna Menon, the astronaut's wife, was present at the space center and briefly addressed the crew, her pride audible across the link. Trump closed by inviting all three to the Oval Office upon their return.
Menon was born in Minneapolis to parents who had emigrated from India and Ukraine. He served as SpaceX's first flight surgeon before NASA selected him for its 2021 astronaut class. He launched aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-29 on July 14 alongside two cosmonauts and is scheduled to return to Earth in April 2027 — eight months of research and quiet endurance in the largest domain imaginable.
President Trump called the International Space Station on Friday afternoon from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and for several minutes the conversation centered on three people orbiting Earth: astronaut Anil Menon, Jessica Meir, and Jack Hathaway. Trump called them great Americans, great patriots, and brave people—and told them he would not have the courage to do what they do. "I hate to admit it, I would not want to do it, but some people love it more than anything," he said.
Menon, a colonel in the US Space Force, responded with measured pride. He told the president that serving in space was an honor, and he spoke about a spacewalk he had completed the week before—the moment when he looked back at the station from the robotic arm and saw what human ingenuity could accomplish in the void. "I am very proud to serve in the largest domain imaginable," he said. The conversation turned toward the future. Menon expressed enthusiasm about American plans to return to the Moon, establish a lunar base, and eventually reach Mars. "We are going to pave the way to our next journey to the Moon, Moon Base and Mars," he said, thanking Trump for pushing the nation in that direction.
Trump used the call to announce a new initiative: a proposed Space Academy, to be established at the same institutional level as West Point, the Naval Academy, the Coast Guard Academy, and the Air Force Academy. "If we're going to do it, it has to be at that very high level," Trump said. "Those are among the hardest schools to get into in the whole country." He framed the move as essential to national security, arguing that space-based intelligence had become critical to military operations and would only grow more important as technology advanced. Jack Hathaway, a Naval Academy graduate, indicated the service academy would be prepared to support the new institution. Jessica Meir reported that the crew was in the middle of conducting several spacewalks and had another scheduled for the following week.
Menon's wife, Anna Menon, was present at the space center and briefly addressed the astronauts on the call, offering encouragement and saying how proud she was of their work. Trump concluded by asking the crew to return safely and extending an invitation to the Oval Office. "We're going to see you when you get back. In fact, if you want, Oval Office time, right?" he said. "So you'll—we'll see you in the Oval Office, OK?"
Menon was born and raised in Minneapolis to parents who had immigrated from India and Ukraine. NASA selected him for its 2021 astronaut candidate class after he had worked as SpaceX's first flight surgeon and then as a NASA crew flight surgeon supporting International Space Station operations. He launched on July 14 aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft alongside cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. The three-person crew is scheduled to spend approximately eight months aboard the orbital laboratory conducting research and technology demonstrations before returning to Earth in April 2027.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
I hate to admit it, I would not want to do it, but some people love it more than anything.— Trump, on the courage required for spaceflight
We are going to pave the way to our next journey to the Moon, Moon Base and Mars.— Menon, on future American space exploration
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